Following April showers at The Spirit of Merseyside’s last Match day, we were all thrilled to see the glorious sunshine at our May meeting. All the stalls were set up outdoors, so we could take advantage of the Great British Summer. The overall aim for the day was to raise awareness to men’s health and well-being.
All the teams arrived in good spirits, and there was great excitement as the day kicked off with the draw for a signed Mo Salah shirt. (The shirt was kindly donated by Liverpool Football Club). The draw was made and shown live on Facebook, and the winning ticket was picked out by one of our John West volunteers. Well done to the lucky winner (ticket number 47). Keep your eyes on our website for future competitions and draws.
The games were very competitive but were played with respect and lots of friendly banter. There have been some problems uploading the fixtures and results and The Liverpool County FA have promised they be available on their website soon. We will add the link as soon as we have it. Please accept our apologies for the delay.
Chaotic lifestyle, poor diet, food availability and limited access to medical care directly affect health, Matchday 3 again focused on men’s health and well-being. So it was great to see players interacting with the NHS health services.
Foot problems are common among homeless people, so the presence of the podiatrist was welcomed by many who chose to get their feet examined. The diabetes nurses carried out simple diabetic checks and offered advice and support by arranging to follow up appointments. The nurses and podiatrists will be joining us again next match day where one to one assessments will continue to be available. If you would like to arrange a confidential health check then just let me know, and I can arrange it for you.
As usual, the day would not be possible without our dedicated team of staff, volunteers and partners. Our huge thanks are offered to:
• All players and team managers
• National Health Service outreach teams
• The Back Kitchen team who cooked and served the lunches
• Lorraine at Asda who provided the fruit kebabs and Jaffa cakes
• Liverpool County FA match officials
• John West volunteers
• Hope University volunteers
• Liverpool FC who donated the Mo Salah shirt
• Paul & James our photographers
• Power League
You were amazing and worked so hard to make the day a great success. We hope you are all looking forward to Match Day 4 on 26th June 2018.
We look forward to seeing you all when we will be highlighting the support services for drug and alcohol addictions. North Liverpool Addaction will be joining us to offer support and provide information. Whether it is your own or somebody else’s drug or alcohol use that you are worried about coming along and have a chat. https://www.addaction.org.uk/services/young-addaction-liverpool-north
Women’s projects
Jess and I have been very busy visiting hostels across the City and engaging with women who are looking for activities that will benefit not only their physical health but just as importantly focus on their mental health.
The Futsal league is in full swing, and the LHFC team compete every Thursday evening at Anfield Sports & Community Centre. The league provides opportunities for women who don’t want to compete in traditional 11 a side or 5 a side football, or those that want to play football for the first time. There are still spaces for new players if you would like to join us.https://liverpoolhomelessfootballclub.com/womens-team/
Remember our motto “More than just football”? Well, our Friday sessions at the Florrie prove the motto to be true. Our women’s health and well-being programme include some physical exercise, coaching sessions, relaxation techniques, mindfulness, yoga and lots of fun. Our coaches do an excellent job and cater for all levels of fitness and ability levels.
The mindfulness session with Eve is proving to be as popular as ever with more women taking part in the Yoga; we loved the sound therapy last week, it was terrific, thank you, Eve.
Coming soon
The annual Women Against Domestic Abuse Tournament 2018. One of the main reasons for homelessness amongst women is relationship breakdown and domestic abuse. Abuse of relationships is common, and women from all walks of life are affected, irrespective of class, race, or income.
What is domestic abuse?
- Domestic abuse can be physical, sexual, emotional/psychological or financial abuse that takes place within an intimate or family-type relationship.
- It forms a pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour.
- Women are more likely to be the victims of domestic abuse and more commonly the perpetrators are men
- It is often unseen and unheard,
Here at LHFC, we feel it is important to raise awareness of this issue and let people know that there is someone they can contact for support. We have been working closely with Anna Farrell from Liverpool County FA preparing for the Women Against Domestic Abuse 2018 tournament. The event will take place at the Power League, Whittle St, Liverpool on 19th June 2018. The day will include up to 20 teams from various backgrounds, from local colleges and teams who play regular football. There will be many women who have never played before. It is a fun, friendly day with support services and other fun activities for women to access. However, the message is strong the message is clear, the day is about women coming together and saying no to domestic abuse.
How can I get involved?
1: Play on the day. Put in a team of work colleagues or friends all you need is 5!
Email: Anna.Farrell@liverpoolfa.com or call her on 0151 523 4488 or
engagementofficer@liverpoolhomelessfootballclub.com or
womenscoach@liverpoolhomelessfootballclub.com
2: Support the day. Does your business wish to support the day by providing items for goody bags or if there is any other way you could support? Contact Jean Barrett on 0151 237 3986.
3)Social media/ Purple Hearts: Tweeting a purple heart with a picture on social media saying “no to domestic abuse #WADAC2018”
Thanks to Abbey Pybis of Turtle Media & Marketing who secured us a space at RunFit Expo earlier in the month.The LHFC team had a great two days raising awareness of our organisation. They would like to thank everyone for taking part in our cross-bar challenge and for their generous donations!
Upcoming Fixtures
26th June raising awareness to Drug & Alcohol Abuse – Addictions
31st July raising awareness to Disabilities – Say NO to Discrimination
28th August raising awareness to Mental Health – Friendship Day, End loneliness & isolation
25th September raising awareness to Suicide – Pain awareness day, prevention, counselling
30th October – PRESENTATION DAY – Estimated 15- 20 teams participating on the day:
Itinerary
All teams arrive by 9:30 am for team photos
• 10 -10:30 INDUCTION [Registration upon arrival]
• Team photos with a promotional banner
• 10:30 – All teams on pitch 1 for welcome
• Group photographs
• 10:45 – Kick Off
• 14:00- 14.30 Lunch & departures
Interested in any of our programmes?
Email: engagementofficer@liverpoolhomelessfootballclub.com
Or call 0151 237 3986